COLUMBUS, Ohio — A collection of notes, insights, ruminations and did-you-knows gathered throughout the week that was for the Columbus Blue Jackets:
Item No. 1: Man-oh-man games
The Blue Jackets will have a new general manager at some point this coming offseason, and, according to president of hockey operations and interim GM John Davidson, that person is likely to have considerable experience at the top of an NHL hockey ops staff.
One issue that will certainly draw the new hire’s attention: Why are the Blue Jackets continually gutted by injuries?
The Blue Jackets had eight regulars out of the lineup in Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, pushing their man-games-lost total to 265 on the season. With eight games remaining, and some of those regulars lost for the season, it’s likely to push over 300 by the time the regular season ends on April 16.
This is the third consecutive season in which the Blue Jackets will have lost 300 or more man-games. They set a franchise record with a whopping 563 last season. They had 371 in 2021-22. That’s 1,199 man-games lost (and counting) over a not-quite three-season span.
“There are a lot of different avenues to look at with this,” Davidson said. “Are you not sharp mentally? Are they soft-tissue injuries? Is it an absolute fluke? In other words, are you not preparing the right way and guys are getting injured, or are injuries happening that are unavoidable, just bad luck?
“I mean, (defenseman Adam) Boqvist is sitting on the (expletive) bench and takes a puck to the face. When that stuff happens … ”
Davidson could certainly go on citing examples.
Boone Jenner took a puck to the face at net front and suffered a broken jaw, missing 15 games in December and January. Rookie center Adam Fantilli suffered a lacerated calf when Seattle’s Jared McCann inadvertently landed a skate on the back of Fantilli’s leg after a check.
And then there’s Boqvist, who was struck by a puck while seated on the bench during a Jan. 25 game in Calgary and missed the next three games with a concussion. Then, on March 14, he slammed into an NHL linesman while clearing the puck out of the zone. He hasn’t played since.
“I understand people looking at us and looking at the numbers and saying ‘something’s wrong,’” Davidson said. “It’s our job to figure out if something’s wrong. But when you think about some of the injuries that have happened … When I was in New York (as club president, 2019-21), there were hardly any injuries in either of those two years. Some of this is just good luck.”
Here’s an update on the eight regulars who were out of the lineup on Saturday:
• Patrick Laine: This won’t likely come as a surprise, as Laine has been out of the lineup with a broken clavicle since Dec. 14 and enrolled in the NHL/NHLPA players’ assistance program since Jan. 28. But Davidson made it official to The Athletic on Saturday, saying: “He won’t be back this season.” Laine’s final totals: 6-3-9 and a minus-10 rating in 18 games.
• Adam Fantilli: It’s looking increasingly like Fantilli, who still walks with a pronounced limp, won’t return this season. He hasn’t yet started skating, and barely two weeks remain in the season. Davidson: “He’s going to run out of runway here pretty soon.” Fantilli could play for Team Canada in the IIHF World Championship for a second straight year.
• Kent Johnson: He is officially out for the rest of the season after tearing a shoulder labrum at the end of a game vs. the New York Rangers on Feb. 28.
• Yegor Chinakhov: It’s been a breakout season for Chinakhov, but he suffered an upper-body injury on March 12 and has missed nine games. He’s not skating, but there’s still hope he can return before the end of the season. Vincent described him as still week to week on Saturday.
• Adam Boqvist: The Blue Jackets have not provided an update on Boqvist, and it’s unclear if his collision with the linesman resulted in a second concussion. If so, expect extreme caution to be shown.
• Sean Kuraly: Suffered a lower-body injury on March 12, but he’s intent on returning before the end of the season. Kuraly took part in the morning skate on Saturday but has not yet practiced with the club. That could come this week.
• Justin Danforth: He’s been out with a concussion since March 7, but appears on the same track to return as Kuraly. He participated in the morning skate on Saturday and could return to practice this week if he continues to progress.
• Boone Jenner: He’s day to day with an illness, Vincent said. Jenner missed Saturday’s shootout win vs. Pittsburgh and is questionable for Monday’s game vs. Colorado.
Item No. 2: Scoring first, but …
The Blue Jackets pulled off a difficult feat during their recently completed five-game road trip. They scored first in all five games and lost all five games (0-4-1). In one sense, it was a franchise first. In another, it checks perfectly with how this season has gone.
Usually, scoring first is a path to victory in the NHL. The first goal is typically not enough to win many games, but the best teams typically score first in most of their games. Which is why the 2023-24 Blue Jackets will go down as a bit of an anomaly.
The Jackets scored the 1-0 goal in Saturday’s game vs. Pittsburgh, an eventual 4-3 shootout win. That marked the 41st time this season (in 74 games) that Columbus has opened the scoring in a game, which puts them tied with Vegas and Los Angeles for seventh most in the NHL.
They’re ahead of Colorado (40), Edmonton (38) and Florida (38), who are all Stanley Cup contenders.
The only clubs that have scored first more often than the Blue Jackets are Vancouver (48), Boston (46), Nashville (45), Carolina (44), Toronto and the New York Rangers (42 each).
In 2016-17, when the Blue Jackets finished with a franchise-record 108 points, they scored first in 50 games, tied for a franchise high (with another playoff season, 2013-14).
The problem, of course, is that the Blue Jackets haven’t exactly built on those 1-0 leads or handled early game success the right way. They are 17-14-10 when scoring first, and those 24 losses lead the league. The Jackets’ .415 points percentage when scoring first is dead last.
Pittsburgh (22-13-5, .550) and San Jose (13-12-6, .419) are the only clubs who have lost more games after leading 1-0.
“Scoring the first goal is important, it shows that the preparation was right,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. “I think our team, the age of our team, where we’re at … second and third period is more of an issue that I need to focus on.
“I’ve seen good starts for a big chunk of the season, guys going the right way in the first period and establishing that pace. The next step is to expand on that first goal, something we haven’t been doing this year.”
Asked if fatigue has been an issue — the Jackets have been outscored 108-63 in the third period — Vincent allowed the possibility.
“Yep,” Vincent said. “And part of it is that we’re a young team. This is a fact. When you’re a younger player in this league vs. a 28- or 29-year-old player, it’s just not there yet. We’re going to work hard to make it happen, but that’s not an easy fix in a week or two. It’s going to take some time.”
Item No. 3: Snacks
• One name to keep in mind as Miami University seeks a coach to restore its program to prominence: Trent Vogelhuber, currently coach of the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate in Cleveland. Miami fired Chris Bergeron after five seasons that saw only 35 wins and an 18-91-11 record in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Vogelhuber spent four seasons with and played 149 games for the RedHawks from 2008-12 before a six-year pro career that was cut short by knee injuries. He’s seen as an up-and-coming coach in the pro ranks but may have a decision to make in the coming weeks if his alma mater comes calling. Something else to consider: The Blue Jackets, with a new GM on the way, might not be seen as the most stable place for coaches.
• Nothing lasts forever, right? Davidson confirmed to The Athletic that the Blue Jackets are moving on from the NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich. The Blue Jackets are committed to playing next fall in Buffalo’s Prospects Challenge at Harborcenter. Last season, that tournament included prospects from the host Buffalo Sabres as well as the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins. Columbus can only hope to have as much success in Buffalo as they did on the shores of Grand Traverse Bay. The Jackets won the Traverse City tournament last fall for the seventh time, more than any other franchise. They also won in 2005, ’06, ’14, ’15, ’18 and ’21.
• The Blue Jackets are wedged pretty firmly into 29th place in the NHL standings. They are seven points behind 28th-place Arizona and eight points ahead of 30th-place Anaheim. If that holds (and it should), the Blue Jackets will head into the NHL draft lottery with a 9.5 percent chance to win the No. 1 pick. A finish with the fourth-worst record would assure they pick first, second, fourth, fifth or sixth. Yes, given their lottery luck, we know what you’re thinking.
• Two weeks ago, we made a list of Blue Jackets prospects on the cusp of turning pro, or at least considering it. One of those was forward Gavin Brindley, a second-round pick (No. 34) in 2023, who can decide between turning pro or returning to the University of Michigan for his junior season. But here’s another Wolverines player to track: defenseman Luca Fantilli, the older brother of Blue Jackets rookie Adam Fantilli. Luca has been to development camps the last two summers with the Rangers and Penguins, so he’s clearly on a few NHL teams’ radars. Adam and Luca are very close and had a blast playing together last season in Ann Arbor. It’s unlikely Luca will be NHL-ready right away, and he could opt to return to Michigan for a third season depending on how the NCAA Tournament plays out. (Michigan plays Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. tonight for a spot in the Frozen Four.) Don’t be surprised if he gets NHL offers as soon as the Wolverines’ season ends.
• After racing to get from Cleveland to Columbus with very little time to spare on Saturday — Cameron Butler trotted into the Blue Jackets dressing room with his gear about 10 minutes before the national anthem — the 21-year-old played only one shift that lasted only 54 seconds in the second period. “I told him, ‘Listen, I don’t even know if you’re going to play. It depends on the score and how the game was to be played.’ I had no plan for him.” Vincent said he tried to send Butler out earlier in the game, but only until he noticed Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan was sending Sidney Crosby’s line out. “I don’t want to put the young man in that position.” If Butler never plays in the NHL again — hey, we’re rooting for the kid — he might go down as the Blue Jackets’ version of Archibald Moonlight Graham. He played 54 seconds and had no other stats. “He had one shift. He was excited after the game,” Vincent said. “It was a nice experience for him.” Butler was the choice for a recall from AHL Cleveland because he was the only player with an NHL contract who wasn’t in AHL Cleveland’s lineup for the afternoon game vs. Rochester.
• Butler’s NHL debut included no morning skate, no pregame nap, no rookie lap, etc. Hell, he barely had time to call his parents as he sped down I-71. “Definitely not the way I imagined it, but I’m happy it happened. I just tried to enjoy the moment and have fun.” As for playing one shift? “I didn’t really have any expectations coming here. I just came here to help out. I worked hard on my shift, and I think it went pretty well. I would have stayed out there if they would have let me.” Butler signed with the Blue Jackets as an undrafted free agent last March 17.
An absolute rocket from Z has this game tied!@fanaticsbook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/on77d2bxWb
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 31, 2024
• Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski, despite missing 12 games with injuries, has already set a personal career high in assists (41). Now with 48 points, he’s matched a career high in that category. With a continued strong finish — he has 3-7-10 in his last nine games — Werenski might catch James Wisniewski’s single-season club record for assists (44) by a defenseman. But Seth Jones’ points mark for blueliners (16-41-57 in 2017-18) is probably safe for now.
• Blue Jackets prospect winger Jordan Dumais will be arraigned in Halifax Provincial Court on the morning of April 9, facing the two counts of DUI-related offenses he was charged with earlier this month, according to a Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service spokeswoman. Currently serving a five-game suspension, Dumais is expected back for Game 2 of the Halifax Mooseheads playoff series vs. the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. Game 7 in that series, if necessary, would be played on April 9, the same day as Dumais’ arraignment.
• The next win for AHL Cleveland goaltender Jet Greaves will be No. 28 on the season, setting a single-season record for the franchise and matching the franchise’s all-time wins record (64) held by Calvin Pickard, now playing for the Edmonton Oilers. Greaves is 27-12-5 in 43 starts this season, with a 3.00 goals-against average and .907 save percentage. He’s been parked at 27 wins since March 17, losing his last three outings (0-2-1), including a 4-3 overtime loss to Rochester on Saturday. The Monsters next play Wednesday in Rochester.
• Good news for AHL Cleveland, who got two prominent players back on Saturday after long absences. Defenseman Nick Blankenburg, who’d been out of the lineup since Jan. 26 with a concussion, and center Josh Dunne, who’d been out since Dec. 23 with an undisclosed injury, both played vs. Rochester. Each player had an assist, too.
(Photo of Adam Fantilli: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
